Downtown: Experts want Springs to offer incentives to investors

July 29, 2013

Members of the Southeast Florida-Caribbean chapter of the Urban Land Institute, who were in Coral Springs recently after the city sought input on its downtown plans, wants the city to provide incentives for private investment.

The city, however, should not wait for private investors and should act immediately on its plans for a new city hall in the existing City Hall South site, team members said while submitting their detailed report to the City Commission last week. Moving ahead with the project will establish the four quadrants as the heart of the city's downtown, they added.

Another project that should be taken up early is the construction of a common parking area for the downtown area. Structured parking, the team noted, "is essential to achieve the height and density needed to achieve a true downtown." Such a facility would also remove a major barrier to private-sector redevelopment, the report stated.

"You have an opportunity to do a modest phase one," said Charles DeSanti, team co-chairman and managing partner of Kitson & Partners. "This is the right time to build city hall. The green space near city hall should be planned and implemented immediately. It is an opportunity to show progress."

The new city hall site and surrounding areas owned by the city's community can be developed without the redevelopment of adjacent private properties, the team said. Some of the projects that can be taken up are creating a common green area which can be used for community activities and transforming the nearby drainage canal into a water feature that runs through the site.

The proposed city hall should be much more than just a place for city staff, the team said. The facility should house state and federal offices, including the post office, and also the offices of the CRA and the Chamber of Commerce. Other amenities can include a large civic space that can be used for conferences and receptions, space for small retail, and places to eat, digital, classic art, photography/videography studios, and a space for continuing education for seniors and tutoring for students.

Among the incentives that the city should think about are adjusting parking requirements to ensure that future redevelopment is not stifled by overly restrictive regulations and codes, offering tax or impact-fee abatements or deferrals, and subsidizing leases for limited amounts of time for targeted businesses. The city can also provide a business concierge service that expedites the permitting process for projects and offers grants for events or programming that meet its objectives.

The downtown area must be made transit ready and the southwest quadrant of the intersection should house a gateway transit hub, the report stated. "Walkability is another important issue," said Ken Tuma, managing principal of Urban Design Kilday Studios and panel co-chairman. "Because it is South Florida, shade and covered walkways are needed. Walkability between the city hall site and the Walk is important."

The lack of land in public ownership and CRA's inability to use the power of eminent domain are among the challenges that the city faces. Making the Sample Road and University Drive intersection walkable and connected would be a challenge because of the number of lanes and high density of traffic, the report stated.

The city does not intend to waste time. "We want to move this project along," said Mayor Vince Boccard. It all ties in with the new Coral Springs. I think there is a lot of potential."

The city has already started preparing for the project. In April this year, the CRA approved a streetscape program to create a pedestrian-friendly environment in the downtown core area. Design is underway for streetscape improvements and water-line installations affecting NW 31st Court, NW 32nd Street, NW 94th Avenue, University Drive, and Sample Road.